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2002 r1150rs brake pad wear question?

Just picked a nice 2002 r1150rs and have been trying to acquaint myself with all it's systems. Had a little over 12k on the clock. Was curious if there's any warning when brake pads need to be replaced like the squealer on car pads or how you go about checking them. I can kinda tell the front wheel pads look ok but not able to get a visual on the rear. New to this forum and tried to do a search for break pad wear but got every topic except brake pads! Bob

The back pads wear faster than the front ones. 2 to 3 times faster. The OE pad material wears the rotor. I like the carbon Loraine ones from Beemer bone yard, stops almost all the rotor wear.

take off the bag, get a strong light and a mirror you can see the pad wear on the rear.

The fronts you can take off a stainless steel retainer and look at them or even remove them. Although some will say you will die, I do swap front pads from side to side to equalize wear. I have never felt a difference. YMMV You can not do this with back pads. The inner always wears more regardless of the condition of the sliders. Just stiff sliders make it worse.

The back pads only wear faster if you are rear brake dependent or heavy on the rear brake. In the 170k on my 94 RS, I have replaced the front pads three times and the rear pads three times. Its not the bike but the rider and rider style. I have used SBS pads since the original OEM pads wore out, and the most recent set of pads are EBC. Happy with both aftermarket brands.

Also, on my RS, in those 170k, I would have replaced the clutch only twice if it weren't for the failed rear seal oiling the clutch and my "cheap ass" attitude about replacing jut the friction plate.

Get trained! The best "performance" upgrade you can get is YOU. Visit msf-usa.org for training info.

Yet another reason why I don't like the "servo" brake system. On a bike as relatively light as the RS is, the linked brakes aspect of the servo-assist brakes put too much emphasis on rear braking obviously.

Get trained! The best "performance" upgrade you can get is YOU. Visit msf-usa.org for training info.

Yet another reason why I don't like the "servo" brake system. On a bike as relatively light as the RS is, the linked brakes aspect of the servo-assist brakes put too much emphasis on rear braking obviously.

HMM, you're probably right. I think i need to work on my reading compression skills.

Yet another reason why I don't like the "servo" brake system. On a bike as relatively light as the RS is, the linked brakes aspect of the servo-assist brakes put too much emphasis on rear braking obviously.

Sorry guys, my bike didn't come with an owners manual and this linked servo assisted braking has taken quite a bit of getting used to. So is the idea to use the front brake lever most of the time for braking except for when you would use the rear for low speed stuff like most other bikes? Thanks for all the input. I went ahead and replaced the rear pads as the inner pad was just about worn down. Went with OEM organic. I do notice I have quite a bit of brake dust on rear rim and almost none on front even after very short rides. I wipe down rear rim after every ride.

.... I went ahead and replaced the rear pads as the inner pad was just about worn down. Went with OEM organic. I do notice I have quite a bit of brake dust on rear rim and almost none on front even after very short rides. I wipe down rear rim after every ride.

You have to make sure that the brake pad retaining pin is thoroughly cleaned off and lubed with a light coat of anti-sieze or moly-60. If this isn't done regularly the rear pads will remain against the rotor and one pad will wear out in just a few thousand miles.